National Archives of Australia
Policies, procedures and guidelines
Defining your agency's approach to records management
A records management policy is an essential tool for supporting good corporate governance and demonstrates your agency's commitment to effective records management practices.
An agency should have one comprehensive or overarching records management policy. Separate policies may be needed to cover specific areas, for example, certain uniquely problematic record types such as web-based records.
Policies that relate to particular areas of work need to include references to record creation and management requirements. Procedures and guidelines should be developed to help staff manage records to meet the needs of the agency and accountability requirements. Procedures and guidelines should:
- be easily accessible to all staff
- be integrated into work processes where practical
- specify records creation and capture into a records management system.
The effectiveness of policies, procedures and guidelines will depend on the extent to which endorsed practices are adopted throughout an agency. Related training and user education programs must be an integral and ongoing component of your agency's records management framework.
